The Windsor Framework and Plant Health

The Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme

Last Updated: 18/09/2023

The NI Retail Movement Scheme will commence on 1 October 2023, replacing the existing Scheme for Temporary Agrifood Movements into Northern Ireland (STAMNI) from that point.

The necessary information regarding the NI Retail Movement Scheme is available on GOV.uk.

As the scheme covers a wide range of retail goods, this page will provide clarification on some plant health specific questions.

• If you would like to lodge an interest in joining the scheme, please email niretailmovementschemeregistration@defra.gov.uk.
• If you would like further information about the scheme, please email ni.trade@defra.gov.uk.

Plants for planting (this includes seed for planting) such as pot plants, bulbs, corms and tubers, are not eligible for the NI Retail Movement Scheme. They will move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland using a Northern Ireland Plant Health Label. Guidance on moving plants for planting from Great Britain to Northern Ireland with a Northern Ireland Plant Health Label will be published shortly.

The NI Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS), UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) and NI Plant Health Label (NIPHL) are all separate schemes and require separate sign-up. They are also all optional, and signing up to one doesn’t require you to sign up to another. However, signing up to UKIMS will allow you to benefit from simplified customs arrangements as well as the new phytosanitary arrangements under NIPHL and NIRMS.

Eligible plant health regulated goods

Fruit, vegetables (including ware potatoes), cut flowers and foliage (including cut Christmas trees and wreaths) falling into the following categories will be automatically eligible to move as part of the NI Retail Movement Scheme:

• all Great Britain origin products
• all Northern Ireland products processed in Great Britain
• all EU origin products

Products from the rest of the world are eligible for the NI Retail Movement Scheme if they fall into the following categories:

• Products which are unregulated by both the UK and EU:

Fruit of coconut, banana, durian, pineapple and dates.

• Products where the UK is taking the same approach as the EU to protect against the same pests and diseases (a list of these commodities with their corresponding commodity code is in the Annex):

Vegetables: onions, shallots, garlic, cauliflowers, broccoli, peas, beans peppers, pumpkins, squash and gourds, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes and asparagus.

Fruit: tomatoes, avocados, grapes, melons, watermelons, apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, loganberries, blueberries, cranberries and ginger.

• Products cleared at EU Border Control Posts (BCPs) for the internal EU market before moving to Great Britain, for example at Rotterdam, or if moving from Morocco through the EU, cleared in the EU before moving to Great Britain (Goods cleared at an EU BCP may require a re-export PC [See our guidance on Imports from the EU] to move in free circulation in Great Britain and be eligible for NIRMS, unless the goods moved to Northern Ireland via the EU or transited Great Britain to Northern Ireland).
• Products processed in Great Britain, for example products turned into ready meals or fruit salads.
• Products which do not require certification or controls for example processed or canned fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, flour and wine.

FAQs

1. 1.    Are herbs covered by the NI Retail Movement Scheme?

Cut herbs, if they meet the eligibility requirements outlined above, are covered by the scheme.

Potted herbs are classed as plants for planting and are ineligible but they can move under the Northern Ireland Plant Health Label scheme.

1. 2.    Is seaweed covered by the NI Retail Movement Scheme?

Dried seaweed for consumption, if it meets the eligibility requirements outlined above, is covered by the scheme.

Seaweed for growing on, e.g. in aquariums, are classed as plants for planting and are ineligible but they can move under the Northern Ireland Plant Health Label scheme.    

1. 3.    Are pot plants, e.g. Phalaenopsis orchids in bark, bulbs or seed for planting sold in supermarkets covered by the NI Retail Movement Scheme?

No, these are classed as plants for planting and are ineligible but they can move under the Northern Ireland Plant Health Label scheme.    

1. 4.    Are Christmas trees covered by the NI Retail Movement Scheme?

Cut Christmas trees, if they meets the eligibility requirements outlined above, are covered by the scheme.

Rooted Christmas trees which could be planted and grown on are classed as plants for planting and are ineligible but they can move under the Northern Ireland Plant Health Label scheme.    

1. 5. Are bulk loads (e.g., of carrots or ware potatoes) covered by the NI Retail Movement Scheme

The goods need to be pre-packed and destined for final consumers, even if moved through wholesalers, in order to be eligible for the scheme.

For example, bulk loads (e.g., loose potatoes in bulk-loaders or the non-retail size jumbo bags) which are not destined for final consumers but for re-packing or processing are not eligible for the scheme.

Bulk loads of pre-packed retail bags moving for the following purposes are eligible for the scheme:

• retailers selling finished goods to end consumers
• hospitality venues such as pubs and restaurants
• those providing food to the public sector – for example schools, hospitals and prisons
• wholesalers supplying smaller retail outlets
• businesses operating factory canteens

Annex

Commodity Codes of rest of the world goods eligible for NIRMS. You can look up commodity codes on GOV.uk.